Here we go Again
by InvaderHope6
Summary: "Adventure is what happens when you just did something stupid" Professor Bernie. Trapped on Earth for ten years has turned the once Invader sour. Now he lusts for a risky move to shake up his broken world and start a new. But when his risk backfires, Zim is left shattered. Is his old forgotten enemy willing to help when no one else will? Mpreg/slight ZADR (later in the story)
1. Anniversary

**I HATE MY LAPTOP! It has deleted this thing twice. It won't let me load my cover! SCREW YOU LAPTOP! SCREW YOU!**

**But yes, HELLO EVERYONE! :D It is so good to see you all again! I said I'd be writing once more! (3 And here I am (barely sane!)**

**So, decided to do a story for Christmas (and because I missed this so much). Just before we get off to the chapter:**

***A previous chapter was published. It was basically just a preface of what was to come in the story. But alas, I learnt that we cannot use lyrics from songs (even though I have seen many song fics on this site, but rather be safe than sorry, it is in the Guidelines), so I've taken it off and put the first actual chapter up (this one) in it's place :( I'll had the preface of this story on my DeviantArt account sometime tomorrow (too late to do it right now) Sorry for the confusion**

***Don't Own Invader Zim (Jhonen is drowning himself in his own blood because of what I do to his characters XD)**

***Thank you to Tunica Spellcaster, as always, for helping do the cover and for helping co-write this baby (even though it's against your will)**

**Hope you enjoy, thanks to all the support of my amazing reviewers. You guys keep these stories going! ;)**

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"Damn it, Skoodge! Turn that damn radio off!" Zim moaned, readjusting the lens on the microscope, "You're scaring the amoebas!"

Skoodge scoffed, pushing himself out from under the main circuit board of the household. He lowered the volume just as the final chorus began on the little contraption next to him, then grabbed a wrench and ducked back down under the board in search of the screw he had just loosened, "Lighten up, Zim. It adds ambience to the bleak silence your labs have become known for. Besides, amoebas don't even have organelles or any form of structure to them. So how they are able to be scared, I am not sure of…"

"I think the Master was referring to how the music was scaring him," the Computer came in.

A little chuckle or two were shared before Zim span in his seat to face the Computer screen and Skoodge working beneath it, "Shut up! Irk, you two are just…" he grunted in an annoyed fashion and went back to his scope, too angry to even bother completing that thought.

"Someone's in a good mood today," Skoodge mumbled in a sigh, patting around the steel floor outside the container he was working in, in search of that bolt he needed.

"Have you perhaps forgotten the date, pipsqueak?" the Computer droned.

Skoodge's look turned thoughtful. He pulled in the bolt and placed it on the circuit roofing above him.

When realization hit him. The bolt dropped straight out of his hands as he stared up at the computer in a shocked manner, "Oh."

"Yeah."

The Irken closed his eyes, "Nine years now."

"Ten, actually."

Skoodge let a breath slip past his lips as he picked up the bolt that had fallen by his left antennae awkwardly and began screwing it onto the main connector leading into some wires that led into the Computer's screen, "Is there anything we could…?"

The Computer continued, not wishing Skoodge to complete that thought, "I wouldn't suggest it. Leave him to his vices and within a few days, maybe a week, he'll be back to his normal, still grumpy but more manageable self."

Skoodge half-closed his eyes, knowing that as true as that statement was, it wouldn't prevent Zim from going through this the next year….or the year after that….or the decade after that. And Zim's mood grew worse as the years past. The bitterness towards his once close friend was even hard for Skoodge to take. The insults became more personal. Even the Computer was losing his non-existent patience with him!

But so much had changed since then. Zim's life just hit rock bottom, and seeing as he wasn't on the top to begin with, it made it all the more difficult for the previous proud, arrogant Invader Zim.

It had been three years into Zim's mission on Earth. Dib was out of the way for the moment as he was off to College. Perfect. With Earth's 'defence' out of the way, it was ripe for the plucking. All that was needed was the Armada to come in and help him finally destroy this filthy planet once and for all. But as months of waiting soon turned into two more years, and no one had come for Zim's planetary invasion, Zim began to question his superior's methods…and their feelings towards the young Invader.

He figured the Tallest just cut communications to Earth a year earlier because…maybe their Intergalactic bill was too high. They had so many Invaders to keep in communication with; it must have been pretty high, right? Skoodge knew Zim didn't believe that for a second, but he was so desperate to believe anything at this point in time…

Another year of doing nothing passed by, and Zim began to grow impatient. Dib had one more year before he would be back to bother the alien in his work. If this was going to be done, it had to be done now! And through a few illegal connections he hooked onto through various solar systems, he was able to create a makeshift link to them.

Skoodge warned him. The Computer warned him. Even GIR warned him! He was playing with fire here. He was going to get burned. But six years of festering questions and panicked realization that he couldn't do his job right had been eating away at Zim to the point where if he were to get burnt now, not much would go up in flames.

They all would remember that day. The Tallest, out of place by the sudden intrusion by one of the biggest nuisances in their lives, stared shocked at the alien before them.

Red began barking orders to the drones behind them, demanding they cut the links as soon as possible. But Zim begged, went down onto his knees, pleading with them.

In muddled rants, he explained how they were running out of time, that Earth had to be destroyed now!

But an immediate 'Silence!' from both his leaders came too quick for the Irken to comprehend. Skoodge and GIR watched from the kitchen, watching the trembling Irken getting a harsh speaking to by his superiors. They were intercepting all his illegal links. They were telling him he was no longer an Invader. They were telling him he was stranded there now. That he couldn't come back. That he could never speak to them again.

Zim, confused, worried, frantic over everything that was suddenly hitting him in the face, demanded to know why he couldn't communicate with them anymore. The Tallest didn't hold back and continued their assault, letting loose on the poor Invader, telling him that he was the biggest disgrace to the Irken Empire they had ever seen. He was unfit as a soldier, a joke as a scientist and one of the worst Invaders in the history of their planet. Enough was enough. Zim could only watch as sparks flew throughout his base. He heard his ship self-destruct upstairs. Parts of his ceiling came crashing down. Before he knew it, everything was consumed in darkness as the power went out.

The faces of his angry, cynical leaders remained in his mind and eyes, the screen before him now dead along with the rest of his base. Skoodge stayed where he stood, horrified by what had just happened. Zim, frozen in time, looked around. Wires hung. Sounds of electricity pulsed dangerously through broken connectors, irritating his antennae.

And there lay GIR on the floor next to Skoodge. Zim's eyes went wide. Even his minion…his…friend…lay in the wake of death.

He fell to the ground, screaming out. Everything that made him Zim…his rank, his base, his mission…

Gone.

And that was just the start of it. Dib returned, but Zim never saw him again. It was as though college changed him. Zim saw him on TV every once in a while. He worked in the forensics department for the police by the looks of it. He was doing a very good job of it as well if he ended up on the news for helping solving various criminal cases.

Zim took five years to get his base back online. With the help of his now back online and slightly rewired Computer, he was able to get his home looking back to its former glory…or something close enough to it. However, his robot and his ship were beyond repair, just like he was sure his Tallest wanted.

So with no direction to go by, not knowing anything else but what he had thus far experienced, Zim went back to trying to conquer mankind.

Minus the Empire.

Zim would spend days on end without eating or resting, just researching more on human lifestyles and weaknesses. He hardly left the labs, let alone the house. It was awful for Skoodge and even the Computer to watch as Zim rotted away underground, isolated from the world. He looked hopeless. And deep down they knew he felt hopeless.

Hours passed. Nothing but the quiet hum of the generators and systems along with the occasional loud beat from the radio loamed overhead. Zim occasionally scribbled down something as he carefully watched the amoebas wiggle around in cytoplasm. This was…just the way things were.

But as the horizon turned to stunning amethyst, Skoodge emerged from under the circuit board, groaning as he stood, stretching his aching appendages above his head, "Whew, I am beat. How about we have some dinner, Zim?"

"I'm still busy, Skoodge. Go on without me," Zim said, not even looking away from the scope before him.

Usually Skoodge would have spent a good five minutes convincing the alien on why he needed to eat dinner seeing as Zim had a tendency to skip breakfast and lunch. This ended in either Zim finally agreeing and going with him to try and force down some human food (seeing as most of their Irken food stuffs had run out years before) or Zim just ignoring him altogether until Skoodge left.

Skoodge knew what the reaction would entail today and turned, heading to the elevator to head upstairs.

When Zim was sure Skoodge had gone. He pushed himself away from the microscope and let his body relax into his seat. He rubbed his strained eyes, tired of looking at pointless amoebas to keep distracted from this ten year anniversary, "Computer."

"Yes, Master Zim?" his Computer spoke up, a little surprised to be spoken with. Skoodge seemed to be the only one talking to him nowadays.

"Show me the news," Zim muttered in a harsh breath. He wasn't used to speaking so his voice always sounded hoarse and groggy.

"Yes, Master Zim."

The small screen before Zim lit up, the evening news's annoying jingle filling the dark cold lab. Zim crossed his legs in his seat, leaning forward on the dashboard before him as he watched with half open eyes.

"Several people were killed today during a suicide bombing attack in a crowded subway in New York today. Survivors on the train state the man was shaky and nervous before the incident and managed to yell out to passengers that he needed to sacrifice others in the name of his faith before he supposedly pulled a cord leading towards a home-made bomb strapped to his torso."

Zim nodded, half listening. These reports of humans killing themselves seemed to be the norm. Zim wondered if the humans would wipe themselves out before he could.

"In local news, another unsolved case has been put to rest thanks to our Police Department's hard working staff. The Serial Killer only known by the number '17' has finally been found and is now pending trial. He was known for his killings on the 17th of each month, 17 people being found dead in their homes with the number carved into their stomachs. Police state he will most likely be sentenced to life without parole. Special thanks go to the forensics division of the Police Department, in particular, Dib Whatever-his-last-name-is. It is thanks to their tireless efforts that this heinous criminal has finally been caught."

Zim leant back into his seat, folding his arms as he straightened his legs. They never showed his picture. Most likely for his own protection. Many criminals knew he was the one behind the scenes foiling their plans with his work.

But still. The Irken wanted to see his face. He was older now. Much older. Taller. Stronger. Bigger.  
Zim looked away from the bright screen that was now hurting his eyes, wondering.

_Does he even remember me?_

Zim shut his eyes, pressure hitting against his weak chest as a harsh knowing filled it.

_Of course he didn't._

_No one did._

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**Heehee, this is going to be an interesting story. Yes, there will be mpreg. Hey there may be some ZADR. Gonna have to read to find out ;)**

**For those who are wondering what happened to College Drop-Outs and Uprising...yeah, we kinda forgot what was supposed to happen in those stories. So we scrapped them and decided to start a new. **

**Hope you enjoy and we will see you guys soon. And remember , review review review! That's the only way we know you guys are enjoying it and that we should continue writing it ;)**


	2. Transmission

**Hey hey hey B) Glad to see peoples are enjoying the story! :D So excited (and I just can't hide it) I do apologize for the previous chapter not being as polished as I would have wanted it (even if you like it, it should be of a higher standard). I was so desperate to put a chapter up after deleting the other one that I rushed to get the chapter I had done up. It had not been properly read or editted so...sorry about that.**

**But now that Tunica and I are FINALLY on vacation, we now are as free as ever (sorta) for some serious work to go down with this baby. And hopefully this chapter is a litt better (3 Thank you for all the amazingness support (as always) and enjoy ;)**

**This chapter was mainly done by Tunica, so if it sucks...blame her :P**

***HEY! How rude! My writing is AWESOME, thank you very much -_-**

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Skoodge sat alone in the lounge with the news on, munching down on the plain cheese sandwich he had made for himself.

He faired a lot better with human food than Zim did. He even enjoyed making it. He did all the shopping with a makeshift disguise he had designed for himself when he realized Zim wasn't planning on leaving their home any time soon. He bought milder foods and never used strange spices in whatever he prepared. He often made sandwiches for the two, seeing as those never caused much harm to their systems, and bought a lot of junk food such as chips and candy bars. It had taken about four years to build some form of a tolerance. It was definitely better than the two starving.

"In local news, another unsolved case has been put to rest thanks to our Police Department's hard working staff. Serial Killer only known by the number '17' has finally been found and is now pending trial. He was known for his killings on the 17th of each month, 17 people being found dead in their homes with the number carved into their stomachs. Police state he will most likely be sentenced to life without parole. Special thanks go to the forensics division of the Police Department, in particular, Dib Whatever-his-last-name-is…."

Skoodge half-choked on the white processed bread that was never meant to agree with an Irken's system. He coughed slightly as he placed the plate on the counter next to him, "Computer, is Zim…?"

"Yes he is," the Computer's voice sadly echoed.

Skoodge shut his eyes, "Damn it."

He grabbed the remote and turned it off, "Why? It's not fair."  
"What's not fair, Skoodge?" the Computer inquired, not that interested in the answer, but curious about the comment.

"Everything," Skoodge mumbled, standing as he grabbed the plate to put in the kitchen, "Every week it's some report about him. Every week it's a reminder to Zim about that damn human. That's what's not fair. Especially now!"

"You care too much about him, Ignorant Irken."

Skoodge froze, looking up, "How-How can you say that…about your Master?"

"Because I told him to," Zim mentioned from behind Skoodge. A jolt of shock jumped into him as he turned on his heel to face the exhausted wreck behind him, "Zim?"

"I didn't ask you to care about me, Skoodge. Because I didn't need you to. I still don't need you to. So please…just stop," Zim muttered in a tired breath.

"Is it wrong for me to care?" Skoodge asked carefully, staying where he stood as they stared the other down.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Oh, why not?" a cynical tone escaped the bitter-laced mouth.

Skoodge knew Zim secretly believed he had stranded both of them here on Earth. Which in all actuality he did. But Skoodge didn't really care about it, whereas Zim thought it was the end of everything.

Skoodge always tried to see the positive in the situations. Living on Earth meant he had so much more to discover, and a lot more time in which to do this in. The food here wasn't that bad and was of such a wide variety, he could practise cooking more, a secret passion of him that if it was discovered, he would have been shipped off to Foodcourtia.

He was never bossed around by superiors chosen for their height and not their leadership, nor made fun of by practically everyone else. And when he went out shopping…well, he always got a friendly word in from the cashier he often tried to see.

He liked it here. It wasn't paradise, nor was it hell….to him, at least.

They both looked up as the Computer, in a very hesitant tone, let out an urgent call, "Sirs!"  
"What is it, Computer?" Zim let out in a slow pace, still getting used to this speaking thing.

"There's…" The Computer couldn't believe it, "There's an incoming transmission, Sirs."

"A what?!" Skoodge barked loudly.

Zim's look immediately perked up, intense focus being placed into the systems from above, "From whom, Computer?"

The Computer remained silent.

"From who!?" Zim demanded in a voice the two hadn't heard in years.

The Computer, after a few more moments, answered, "The…The Armada, Sir. The Tallest are currently sending you a transmission."

The once vibrant but now pale pink eyes that belonged to the hopeless Irken lit up to its former state, wide open now in awe, "Th-the Tallest?"

"Y-Yes, Master."

Skoodge's gaze turned to the stiff counterpart, "Zim…?"

Zim looked down, "They…are calling me?"

"Zim," Skoodge tried once more.

"Ten years," he shut his eyes.

"Zim!" Skoodge pleaded now.

"Patch them through!" Zim looked up suddenly.

"What?!" Skoodge yelped.

"Master, are you…sure?" the Computer interjected, hesitant once more.

"Just Do It!" Zim screeched heading straight into the lounge. Skoodge followed heel-and-toe, shocked by this, "Zim, please! Don't do this."  
"Shut up, Skoodge. Don't get involved!" Zim demanded. Skoodge stopped. It had been ten long years since he heard that tone of harsh pride from Zim. Was that all it took? Communication from the leaders that basically destroyed his life? Skoodge clenched his fists in probably the first time of his life.

Zim stood valiantly in front of the TV screen in his lounge, the screen behind that old Monkey picture above the couch gone, destroyed during the last time he spoke with his previously beloved Tallest. Zim wasn't in proper uniform, wearing stuff Skoodge managed to get for him from the discount supermarket down the road for them. He was no longer apart of the Empire, just like Skoodge, and was therefore never allowed to wear his uniform again.

But he didn't care, "Let the transmission run, Computer!"

His systems sighed as Skoodge watched from the frame between the kitchen and lounge, holding his breath. He couldn't stop him now.

The screen lit up before Zim. Shivers danced inside his PAK. His antennae fell ever so slightly. There they were, as though time was just continuing on from where it left off the last time he saw them. They looked the same, postured themselves the same way. Zim felt his palms go cold with sweat as he waited for them to speak.

"Hello Zim. It's been a while," Red said in a relaxed manner.

Zim did not reply, his look still stern and slightly confused.

Purple gave a slight scoff, "Isn't that cute? He's trying to be brave for the camera."

Zim's left eye twitched slightly by that comment. How dare they? He blinked it off and waited again. Why waste his breath one pleasantries. He knew they weren't going to last very long. All he wanted was answers.

After a few awkward moments, Red began speaking once more, "You're probably curious as to why we're calling you, Zim. After all, it's not normal for Tallest of this great Empire of ours to be calling Irkens that are not a part of the Empire anymore…like yourself."

Oh, they were enjoying reminding him of that; weren't they?

More silence ensued, Skoodge rather surprised by how 'well' Zim seemed to be coping. The silence was actually not a bad thing. It was better than his friend falling to the floor, begging to be taken back as soon as possible, or him screaming in a frantically ill-driven manner.

But then again, Zim had seemed to have been silent for years now.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Red-Winged civilisation, Zim," Purple mentioned now, bored of waiting.

Zim's antennae perked. He recognized that name well. Any Irken would. They were a race that fought against and hunted the Irken's for years. They were ruthless monsters with huge transparent red wings that once flapped created a powerful enough wind that could peel flesh off of bone. Their prized delicacy was the entrails of Zim's species, often eaten fresh from a slaughter Irken.

Skoodge cringed, holding onto his arms now. He remembered the horror stories told at the Academy when he and Zim were smeets.

"What about them?" Zim finally spoke up.

An evil grin Skoodge noticed immediately was shared between the two Tallest, "It looks like Emperor Scarlet is now willing to sign a Peace Treaty."

"What?" Skoodge mumbled, "They would never…"

"He has asked for a representative from our side to go to the planet Moltan to meet with him and a few of his Ministers to arrange the agreement," Red nodded thoughtfully.

"And we've decided that we'd like to send you," Purple finished.

"WHAT?" Skoodge, the Computer and Zim blurted out.

The Tallest looked at one another and nodded, "Yes. We know you understand the risks involved with sending any men of ours to their planet. Irk knows if they'd make it back alive."

Zim grumbled. Of course. That made more sense. But still, "So you're asking me to go instead? Someone who is no longer a part of your Empire?"

"After a lot of thinking on our part, we've come to an unfortunate decision that we're not particularly happy with, but in terms of our situation, seem to be the only one we can make. If you agreed to go off to Planet Molton to meet with the Emperor and miraculously made it back alive…we would be willing to accept you back as one of our own."

Skoodge covered his face. Oh no. Purple continued, "You wouldn't be an Invader, but it's better than being stranded on a dump like Planet Earth; huh, Zim?"

Zim looked thoughtful for a moment. Skoodge watched his friend carefully. What could Zim possibly be thinking about? _Please, please don't fall for it._

Zim looked up at the Tallest, an arrogant look on his face. As though something just occurred to him, "I'll agree to this, but…"

The Tallest smug nature changed, curious now, "But?"

"I don't want to be back in the Empire," he continued, folding his arms.

Skoodge felt his draw drop. What did he just say? The Tallest developed a similar look as the same thought dawned on them, "So what? You want to do this free of charge then?"

"Oh no. That would be idiotic. I don't want to go back to the Empire. I want something else in return for going to Planet Molton for this absurd mission," Zim demanded. His persona, his tone…was this the same Zim?

The Tallest shared a quick glance, Red then giving Zim a look of cautious interest, "Then what do you want?"

Zim held up a hand to the screen and began counting with his fingers, "One: a powerful ship in the best condition you can master. I'm tired of living on this planet and my old ship is beyond repair now."

The Tallest grumbled, their self-righteous nature weakening. But they must have been desperate to agree to such a demand.

The second of his two fingers went up, "Two: I don't want you to take me back. However, I want you to take this Irken back instead."

Zim pointed towards Skoodge. He gave an ungodly gasp and furiously shook his head, "Zim! No!"

The Tallest looked very displeased, mumbling complaints to one another about having to accept someone like Skoodge back into the Armada. They sighed, defeat being a new emotion shared between the two, "Fine, Zim. We agree to your terms."

"Then I accept the mission given to me, Tallest," he nodded, victory playing behind his eyes.

Skoodge grabbed Zim's arm but Zim swung it back, the once short and weak Irken nearly getting knocked off his feet. Zim continued in his harsh hushed tone, "When?"

"An Irken Elite ship will be by tomorrow to fetch you. Your…'attire' will be provided for once you get onto the ship. The commanders on the ship will inform you further on what you will need to do while on Planet Molton," Red nodded, a sort of smirk worming its fragile way back onto his face.

"Good luck to you, Zim. You're gonna need it," Purple half-laughed to himself.

The transmission was cut. And with it, Zim turned furiously and was gone, heading back down to his labs.

Skoodge stood stiff, his skin tingling, shocked by what had just happened. He quickly found his voice in this fleeting moment and called out the former Invader's name, "ZIM!"

The alien stopped his fast retreat back down into his safe zone in the labs. He turned slightly, "What?"

"Wh-what just happened? Zim, what are you doing? These people…Irkens…they ruined your life! They stranded you here for ten years! Why are you agreeing to this? You know they're just gonna double cross you!"

Skoodge watched as Zim's arms – tucked neatly behind his back just beneath his PAK – tightened their grip on each other. Zim turned to face Skoodge fully, "I know this is a risk. But after being stuck here for ten years now Skoodge…one needs to start taking risks if they ever want to get anywhere. I'm rotting away in this home, if you could even call it that anymore."

"Well, excuse me," the Computer snapped.

"Zim…" Skoodge couldn't find his words.

The Irken did something Skoodge wasn't expecting at all. Zim gave him a half smile, "Let's just say spending ten years in here makes me realize how wasted my life has been spent. It's time to get out there and live a little. Don't be a kill joy, Skoodge."

Zim stepped into the elevator and left the bewildered Skoodge to his thoughts, "Taking a risk is one thing. Trying to speed up the process before death occurs is another."

…Meanwhile…

"So, Tallest? When are we to expect out Supremes' offering?" the two red beasts before them barked.

Zim would have gotten a kick out of how scared his former superiors looked right now. Even the bridge officers, trained in combat and defence, looked terrified as these huge winged creatures stood in their wake. Large, double-body-sized wings hung above them. Lava red skin. Dark suits of armour with yellow slime dripping teeth connected to seemingly normal faces (other than their piercing emerald eyes). What scared the Irkens the most – besides their incredibly strength, power, flying abilities and strategy skills – was their claws. The same claws that ripped through their scaly skins and dense bones, in search for the species favourite snack.

"Oh, soon-soon," Purple stuttered, practically hiding behind Red, who was in his head cursing his fellow superior.

"How soon is soon, Irken filth? Our master is growing impatient. He needs this vessel now!" One of the beasts roared, nearly shaking the room with that distorted screech.

Engineers jumped behind their seats, shaking in fear.

Red waved his hands, "We're fetching them tomorrow for you. We promise."

The two beasts stared at one another and grinned. They looked back at the quivering leaders, "Are they in a good enough condition for our Supreme?"

"Oh yes, oh yes! Smashing condition! Perfect! Just what he requested for," Purple jumped.

The beasts nodded, "Good. But know this, you pathetic bunch of snack sacs. If this sacrifice of yours is not up to the highest of standards our Master needs, he himself will come here and ensure you know of his displeasure."

Red and Purple gulped loudly, causing the monsters to laugh manically as they flew off out of their bridge, all Irkens fearing for their lives as the sound of their wings flapping echoed through the bridge. That dreaded sound to them was considered worse than the sound of a door creaking just as the serial killer was entering to kill you.

The Tallest fell back into their seats behind them, their legs turned now to jelly. Their PAKs were racing as this strange feeling of fear pulsed through them.

Red looked around at the questioning soldiers, "Well!? What are you standing around for!? Get back to work!"

The Engineers and Elite soldiers ran around in like their heads had been cut off, obeying their masters as best they could. Red let out an annoyed breath as Purple shook from the left over feeling of dread, "At least one good thing is coming out of this."  
"Yes. We'll finally be rid of Zim…once and for all," Red smirked underneath the pale green skin that engulfed his face.

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***See!? Wasn't that bad, huh Hope?!**

**Well, review review review and we shall see you all again soon ;) **


	3. Suspicion

**God, I'm on holiday, but it sure as hell doesn't feel like it! I've been running around like a crazy person trying to sort out things! So to peoples who are sending me messages and such and such, I apologize for taking a while to reply ^^; I should be a bit more free in the next couple of days.**

**At least I have time to update stuff (lik my stories) and I have also posted a few new pics on DA if you guys are interested :)**

**My goal for this fic is to reach 300 reviews so I urge you guys to PLEASE! Review! (this is SPARTA!) XD Yeah, couldn't help myself there (3**

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Zim spent the night alone in his labs, Skoodge staying upstairs staring blankly at the snow-filled TV screen as his mind tried piecing together Zim's strange new attitude. Nothing fit where it needed to. Nothing made sense anymore. Ten years. Things had not gotten better but they hadn't gotten worse! Perhaps that was it. Nothing had changed in Zim's mind during these ten long years.

But then…why did it need to be the Tallest to spark of this new change? Because they started it? Because Zim just felt now was the time?

What was happening? And what could Skoodge and the Computer do to stop it?!

When morning eventually arrived, Zim was still found in his labs, not having moved an inch from when he had seated himself in his favourite chair. His eyes were shut tightly; his hands were interlinked upon his lap. His look was blank but his mind was summersaulting, thoughts and ideas and reasoning trying to make itself known within him. Every once in a while, he would give a slight blink, an irritating or negatively skewed thought entering the exhausted and strained mind of his. He tried shaking it off and moved on to another more complex puzzling idea that involved a more positive outlook. But as the night progressed, those thoughts were getting harder and harder to find.

He looked up, his antennae picking up movement in the attic. Skoodge snapped awake from his relaxed laze upon the couch, falling off of it in a thud. He moaned, rubbing his head.

He enjoyed napping in the lounge when he got the chance, especially after a long night of complicated thinking. But a rude awakening was always the down side of sleeping. He got to his feet just as the elevator leading from the labs opened up, "Skoodge, come on."

Skoodge stumbled over to his comrade, a bit taken aback at the moment. The elevator reached the attic within a few seconds. The two stepped out and were greeted by two Irken Elite soldiers, weapons in hand. They didn't hesitate, "Are you Irken Zim?"

"Yes, I am Zim," he took a step forward.

"Come with us. We are here to take you to Planet Molton for your meeting with Emperor Scarlet," the other confirmed.

Zim looked at Skoodge who had a quiet panic in his eyes, "Well, Skoodge. It has been interesting. Look after the base while I'm gone." He was careful in his wording, not even suggesting whether or not he was going to make it back, just that he wanted his base to be looked after in his absence.

Skoodge noticed this immediately and the panic grew, "Come back in one piece, please."

His lifelong 'friend' smirked, Skoodge seeing a glimpse of his former self in that smugness, "Zim will be back as better Irken than ever seen before, don't you worry about it."

Well, he was referring to himself in the third person again, the first time in two years. This was both a good and bad thing. Skoodge's frown grew, feeling helpless, a crushing worry in his chest.

Zim walked with the soldiers into the large ship, the doors immediately shutting behind him as soon as both feet had touched down into this metal death trap. He looked around, breathing in that all too familiar smell of fresh Irken machinery. This model was new.

These soldiers, being as cold and unfeeling as ever, moved swiftly towards their seats and positions near the controls. Zim found his way over to a seat near the rear of the ship and quietly took it, strapping himself in. The Irken soldiers activated some form of cloaking shield over the ship and began activating the main thrusters, getting ready for their take off. Lights blinked around the ship as Zim felt the ship leave the ground. A warming smile beamed off his sunken face as they took off, a pulse flowing through his body and sinking into his stomach. He missed that feeling. That 'adrenaline rush' as humans called it. He sat back, his eyes half open as his smile disappeared. This was it. His last chance.

He knew what he was doing would mostly likely end in him being killed. He knew that he couldn't possible trust those monsters he once called 'My Tallest'. He knew he was going against Skoodge's wishes and was being incredibly selfish as this point in time. He knew.

But he had spent ten years locked away in his labs, trapped on a planet he hated surrounded by filthy worthless humans…he didn't want to believe that death was the way out. He wanted to believe that taking a chance was the way out.

What if this worked? What if this is what changed the course of where his life was heading? He was waiting for something big like this to happen for years now. If he passed it up, what else did he have to live for? How much longer could he wait?

He shut his eyes. _This is what the mighty Zim has been reduced to. A thrill-seeker who enjoys playing with fire. Irk, how did this happen?_

He knew how this had happened, but he would never really admit to it.

His upper lids moved to reveal more of his scenery, looking over at the approaching soldier. The armoured Irken stood before him, dressed in one of the finest uniforms Zim could imagine, "Irken Zim. We will be arriving Planet Molton in a few minutes."  
"Fine," Zim muttered, looking away. Damn, this ship really was one of the top models if they were arriving in a distant galaxy within minutes, wasn't it?

"You are required to wear a Representative's uniform for this meeting, provided by the Empire on your behalf."

Zim's antennae perked, his look remaining the same, "Understood."

"Come with me," the soldier turned, heading down a purple lit corridor in front of them. Zim unstrapped himself and followed him slowly, feeling like such a stranger now. No familiar converse, no recognition of him as a person. It was hurting his vanity now, but he knew he had enough strength to take it.

The walk felt long and never-ending. Zim felt cold the further he went into it. It was so closed and badly lit; it reminded him of when he first tried repairing his base. Passages and corridors beneath the house were caved in with blinking lights and leaking pipes. He nearly got trapped in search of a tunnel leading down to his labs where most of the equipment he needed lay.

The soldier finally led him into a room lit in red. A small room, covered in vents and fans lined with wired meshes. The solider went over to one of the side lockers and began riffling through it. Zim stood by the steel-like door frame, rubbing his arms. It was near freezing in here. The soldier turned around and handed Zim his outfit: a black fitted body suit type thing along with a long collared, sleeveless coat that reached the floor. Zim looked at it, rather confused by this outfit. Even by Irken standards, this was pretty ugly.

"Your boots and gloves are in the locker from where I got that. Get changed in twenty minutes or less, then prepare yourself for landing."

The solider began walking past him. Zim called out to him, "Hang on."

Emotionless, he turned, "What is it, Irken Zim?"

"The Tallest said I would be briefed on what I needed to do and say to the Emperor during our meeting," Zim said boldly, noting the half-confused look the soldier was now sporting.

He nodded slightly, "They informed us that all you needed to do was be silent and follow what the Emperor said. Nothing more."

With that, he continued his stride down the long and narrow corridor.

Zim stood there, feeling something was not right here. He shut the door and tossed the clothing onto the floor, having nowhere else to put it. The red light and slight shake the ship gave every once in a while was giving Zim a headache, but he chose to ignore it, taking off his purple loose fitted shirt and pulling down his dark navy jeans. He brought up the body suit and gave it a strange look. Then began pulling it on. It fitted him tightly. The Tallest failed to realize that over the years, Zim had gotten taller, something he and Skoodge – who had also grown a little taller, but still a lot shorter than Zim – were rather surprised about. But around important things like his stomach and arms, it fitted normally. Zim was very skinny, a side effect from skipping meals and not getting much exercise. He grabbed the large coat and flung it on, the extravagant collar annoying him already. He pulled on the black boots – just like the ones he used to wear as an Invader– and the ruby pink gloves next to them.

He gave a sigh, shifting himself in different positions and postures as he stood, trying to get comfortable in this awkward outfit.

Some things were troubling him. One thing was for sure. This was not what Irkens wore when they were representing Irk or the Armada. This was far from it, actually. He looked down at the gloves, flipping his hands in all directions. _Where have I seen this before? Who wears this outfit? It looks familiar but…_

"Irken Zim, take your seat," the intercom above him rang. His suspicious look grew as he turned, heading down the hallway once more, his coat turning dramatically much to Zim's annoyance. That was another thing bothering him. He was instructed to simply follow what the Emperor told him to do.

No Irken representative, especially one meeting with one of Irk's most hated enemies, would do such a thing. Irkens were too proud for that.

Zim reached his seat and buckled himself in, his look growing as cold as the room he had just come from. Surely if they were closing in on Planet Molton, things would be getting warmer, not colder. Their planet was named that for a reason. Their atmosphere was boiling and could melt the skin off your bone.

Yet the inside of the ship was like a freezer. And no matter how advanced it was, it couldn't match that to the heat Planet Molton gave off…right? He could understand if the outside was somehow made cooler to counteract the heat, but…not the inside. Irkens had no control over that.

The soldiers didn't seem to be effected at all, but they were wearing their suits. They were programed to protect Irkens from all elements.

Zim grabbed his seat's edges, unfortunately losing his thought as the ship shook violently. He gave a look, now understanding why the ship was so new: most ships, Irken or otherwise, were never able to make it past the atmosphere of Planet Molton unless it was made on Planet Molton itself. This is why the Armada could never properly invade it.

The Planet was lined in thick smog created by years of rising smoke and sulphur-like gases. Any strong enough metals which could penetrate this nature-made force-field were incredibly expensive and near-impossible to find.

The Irken vessel shook more, alarms going off. The once calm, monotone soldiers were now barking orders into transmitters, yelling for guidance and help! Metal grinded. The smoky smell of an engine overheating filled the air. Zim shut his eyes, holding on tightly, gritting his teeth. _Damn it._

The ship had had to have hit a flat surface, Zim guessed, with a heavy chilling thwack. Zim yelled as his head hit the back of his titanium seating rather hard. He then was launched forward, the strap snapping as the ship jerked to a stop. He was sent flying down the corridor and hit the door – which he had thankfully shut after he walked out – at the end of it. Had he left it open, at the speed he was going at, he would have broken through the netting covering the vents and would have ended up minced.

After a few silent moments, sense came back to the poor Irken, his eyes opening. The alarms blurred in a dimmed tone as he tried getting to his feet. He crawled his way down the corridor, leaning against the wall which was currently doing most of the work.

When he reached the end of the passage, he looked to his left, hoping to find the soldiers up and trying to get the ship back into gear. But what he found was two dead men, green oozing blood covering the controls in front of them. Zim's eyes shook in fear. _Damn it_!

He quickly turned as white sizzling beams broke through the metal walling that had been the door leading out of the ship. Someone was breaking in.

The door was violently kicked open and in walked three fierce Red-Winged Minions. Zim stood frozen. They looked more horrifying in person. They saw the Irken and toothy grins consumed their faces, "Are you the…" the one started, clearing his throat, before continuing that thought, "The Representative sent from Irk?"

Zim took a moment, still trying to comprehend what he was seeing. He stepped forward towards them after this hesitation and composed himself somewhat, "I am he. You are to address me as Invader Zim. I am the Representative from Irk, sent by Tallest Red and Purple." An introduction he was sure needed to be made in such a manner to show these beasts he meant business. But they didn't even seem to acknowledge any of it. The men just looked at one another and nodded, "Come with us, little man."

They jumped out, Zim slowly following. He looked back one last time at the dead Irkens, something twisting within him, before he continued onward.

Zim emerged from the near unrecognizable ship and looked around in amazement. He had never laid eyes on Planet Molton before, only ever seeing glimpses of it in pamphlets and postcards in Malls.

A well-built civilisation filled with hanging cities and homes. The ship had crashed onto one of the floating highways used by the monstrous ships used by these creatures.

What made this place truly awe worthy was its stunning crimson sky, the colour being created by the red hot sun infamously known by all galactic races, including Zim's. Its strong light managed to break through the smog and created a colour Zim never imagined possible.

The men opened up their neatly tucked away wings, the span being three times their own large sizes. Zim was convinced now on who these men were. The bigger the wings, apparently, the higher up in rank they were. These men were obviously soldiers.

Two flew off, heading towards one of the hanging castles, that being most likely where the Emperor was presiding.

The other grabbed Zim's coat and took off, the poor Irken trying desperately not to scream as he went.

* * *

**Remember Zim, you don't have a fear of heights. You have a fear of falling...so hang on tight!**

**Well, I am off to finish more work. Check in with you guys later! :)**


	4. Vessel

**Hello everybody! Sorry for not updating in a while. It's been a very lazed week filled with Sims playing (including a broken Mod that gave my family triplets X_X) But it is fixed and all is well again...sorta ^^; **

**But, I feel so bad that I haven't been working on my Fics (including Sun Flowers, which I will be updating some time next week). But fear not! Seeing as people are reading my fics (and enjoying it by the sounds of things) my mind is now back in writing mode and OFF I GO...  
Sorta...**

**Seeing as Tunica is on vacation till Monday, this chapter was brought to you by...me :D Hazaa! (so sorry for the millions of grammer errors I'm sure are in here. I am trying to get better with those ^^;)**

* * *

Though the landing wasn't as pleasant as Zim would have wanted – the guard simply dropping him a few meters off the ground just so he could watch the Irken's body bounce off the hard, concrete-like dirt – he was happy to be on land again. He enjoyed flying. Any Irken did. As long as he was in a ship while doing it.

The three guards landed in front of him and began walking towards the huge loaming castle before them. It was definitely what Zim was expecting. Big. Dark.

Red.

He followed them, looking around at the smouldering rocks, the black soot-coated ground. But surprisingly, he was still feeling rather cool. He preferred being cold than melting from the heat…but on a planet where some weaker species' skin – thankful not his – melted off their muscles and bones…it was rather strange that he was feeling in need of a jersey.

The darker crimson guards positioned in the front of the castle pulled apart the heavy stone doors and let the four visitors in. The inside was coated with murals depicting valiant warriors of Red-Winged tribes, defending their land and making their mark on history. Whited Marble Columns lined their path as they paced themselves down what seemed like another endless corridor to the Irken. Zim grabbed hold of his arms with these beasts not looking at him. It felt strange. It was getting colder now. It wasn't some of the _lovely_ images of Irkens being hung by their antennae and devoured by the snarling men painted in smears on the walls surrounding him. Something in the alien just went cold the further down this passage he went, to the point where his jaw shook violently as shivers escaped his mouth. The guards took no notice, continuing in their stride, their minds set on the task at hand.

Another set of stone doors were opened.

The atmosphere changed, almost like night and day with no dawn or sunset in between. Bright reds, like the walls had been painted with fresh human blood, nearly burnt Zim's eyes as he walked in. Drapery that hung along random sections of the wall looked as though sun beams had been used to paint the edges of this unique fabric.

Statues similar to those painting he had seen outside decorated sections surrounding them. They were of past leaders, including Emperors and Empresses.

Before Zim was a black shimmering throne lined with Merilium emeralds and Dusket diamonds, some of the rarest and exotics jewels known to the universe.

And on this immense, nearly tacky-looking throne sat the monster of the hour. He was broad shouldered, skin the colour of the sky at sunset. He had dark long locks and the largest wings Zim had seen thus far on one of these creatures. He wore no shirt or armour, and by the looks of it he didn't need it, but wore shredded black pants and laced leather-like boots. Zim felt his fingers go numb. This king was not what he was expecting…he was a lot more frightening than he could have ever guessed. Half of him wanted to run away as fast as his unused spider-legs could take him. The other half was contemplating using those same legs to shoot through his skull, making this experience a lot less painful.

The guards fell to their knees, Zim deciding to join them. The Emperor rose, a smug look entering his face, "Ah, the Irken vessel those cowards finally decided to send to us, I take it?"

_Vessel? What did he mean by that?_

"Though I am a little annoyed they sent a male. I did ask for a female vessel," he sighed, folding his bulging biceps and he slowly walking down the beige carpeting towards them.

_What on Irk is this man planning to do with me?!_ Zim still looked firm, standing now as tall as he could. Though his increasingly painful headache was arching him a bit more than he would have wanted. Something was definitely wrong.

"Is your Supreme not pleased?" one guard asked in confidence, all now rising to their feet.

"No, I am pleased with this specimen. But perhaps sending those cowardice meat-bags a little reminder of who we are might be in order, Men," he snorted, his horrid eye-splitting teeth filling Zim's gut with a sick feeling.

The guards all gave a slight laugh, nodding their heads in agreement.

The Emperor stood before Zim, about a meter taller than him, smiling wickedly, "So, what is your title, Irken?"

Zim felt the coolness within him grow, spikes of ice piercing through his spooch in painful thrusts. His legs were just itching to run away right about then, his idea on fleeing with his spider-legs being thrown out of his mind as those were just not going to be fast enough right now…but he was motionless. All he could do was answer now, "I am Invader Zim," he lied once more, knowing just his name wouldn't be assertive enough, "Representative sent by Tallest Red and Purple."

"Invader Zim? Huh. We have heard quite a few tales about the infamous Invader Zim," he nodded, turning on his heel, "Rather a destructive Irken, mind you."

He turned back to face him, as though the turn was just for effect, "But still. Tall for an Irken, a little thin but we can work with that."

Zim squinted at him, but said nothing._ He is going to eat me, isn't he?_

The Emperor looked at his men, "Bring him with me."

_Yes, he is going to eat me,_ Zim's screaming mind yelped.

Two guards who stood beside Zim brought out metal restraints and strapped them on the off-guard Irken before he realized it. He turned in a panic, "What are you…?"

"There's no need to fret, my vessel. Please, relax. You should feel honoured, if anything," the Emperor walked past him, the guards pulling Zim along. He struggled but his tiny self was no match against these hideous creations. He decided his spider-legs were now needed, but the guards thought ahead and as he tried activating them, he received a painful shock brought on by the cuffs on his wrists. He yelled as his body went slack, the guards chucking at his idiotic attempt.

They followed closely behind the Emperor, Zim's boots skidding against the flooring. He knew what was about to happen to him, but he wasn't going down without a fight! The stone doors parted as the Emperor continued his calm stride, "I was beginning to worry those damn fools wouldn't send me a vessel in time as we requested. We Emperors only have this opportunity presented to us once every ten years. And I am getting on in age, I will admit that. I do not think I could have waited another decade for those bloody heathens to get their acts together. But, they managed to deliver in the end."

Zim's struggles were weakening as the Emperor's strange words were hitting his head left and right. Zim didn't know enough about the species to know exactly what this monster was on about. But this didn't sound like a speech given to someone about to be eaten. This speech was one of preservation.

Emperor Scarlet grinned at the still aggressive Irken, his thought now continuing, "And wow, did they deliver. Not what I'd call a prize vessel, but hey. Close enough. I would never expect very much from the Irkens anyway. Their inferior nature is laughable at best."

Zim wanted to interject at that point. He may not have been a part of the Empire, but he was still an Irken, and didn't like being spoken to in such a manner. But his aching muscles were struggling, the smooth surface beneath him making it difficult to latch onto anything.

He looked up at the Emperor, scrapping up whatever confidence he might have had left, knowing it didn't matter what he said now if this beast was planning to kill him, "What exactly are you planning to do with me? Why am I here?"

He stopped, his men stopping as well. He turned fully now to face the confused alien, "They did not tell you?"

"They told me nothing but lies by the sound of things," Zim barked, "Tell me what my purpose is here! Now!"

Two knives rested against Zim's throat before another reckless threat slipped out of his mouth, "No one addresses the Supreme in such a manner, you insignificant smeet!'

The Emperor grinned, however, "Lower those weapons of yours, boys."  
"But Sir…" they tried.

"Bring him along," the Emperor turned, heading back down a right-sided corridor Zim hadn't noticed before while walking in with the men. He was tugged in a violent manner as the men continued following their leader. Zim grumbled, his knees buckling beneath him and now being dragged against the floor.

"Ah, my lovely Irken vessel. You've got quite the tongue in that ripe mouth of yours, don't you? Interesting trait. But one I admire. Pity you will soon learn that perhaps biting that tongue of yours is for the best."

Zim gave him a look, before realization hit him. Flashes of this dreaded outfit he was wearing entered his mind. It finally made sense. No! This meant…he was being…

Before he knew it, white light consumed his vision as a last breath freed itself from his gapping mouth, one of the guards having struck him at the base of his head.

* * *

**Noooooooooooooooooo *takes a breath* ooooooooooooooo!  
Hmmmm, gonna have to wait and see what becomes of poor Zim. Keep those reviews a comin' (I love that people are reading my fics again (3 Makes me all happy) And I shall chat to you all again soon!**


	5. Sweet

**Good day my Lovely reviewers! Yes, I am so on top of this story (not really) that it's update time once more! Finally got past the very difficult and annoying scenes and am back on track with it! HAZAA! :D**

**Hope you are all enjoying your time off :) Christmas is just a few days away (and so is Doomsday, but let's be optimistic here) :P**

**Anyway, time to continue with the story...**

* * *

Light music filled the air.

The scent of incense lit the remaining senses.

The taste of…what was it? Something sweet? Almost like…honey.

Zim struggled slightly, shaking his head in a dazed manner, trying to get his eyes open. He felt it. His arms, his torso, his ankles. They were strapped down tightly. His back felt bare as air graced over his naked stomach and chest. But his legs were still being hugged tightly by a pair of black pants.

His lids lifted slightly, dimmed lights making it slightly easier on the delirious Irken. He tried looking around, but he was lying flat on a hard, cold surface. His PAK seemed to fit into a slot in this structure surprisingly. This thing he was lying on was made for an Irken captive. Damn, what were these devils of the skies planning with him?!

He gasped out into a grunt as a hand ran its way over his bare chest, "I see someone is awake."

Zim looked up at the smirking promiscuous Emperor standing above him, "Wh-what are you…?" It hit Zim. He buckled against the restraints brutally, screaming out, "LET GO OF ME! RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT!"

The Emperor's laugh roared over his feeble attempt for a cry of help, "Pathetic, Irken. I take it you have finally realized why you are here."

Zim gritted his teeth, breathing out in snarls, "They-they sent me here as a…sacrifice."

The Emperor slowly clapped his claws together in a non-consistent beat, "Smart too. Oh, you really are a perfect vessel, Zimmy."

"Don't call me that!" Zim barked, his eyes shooting open. Though he still wasn't exactly sure why the Emperor was using that term on him. Sacrifices of any sorts were called _Vehicles_, not vessels. Meaning…Zim was a special sort of sacrifice.

The Emperor's smirk shrunk slightly, displeased by that tone, "Make me, Irken filth."

He began walking around the tablet Zim had been tied down to, "I am sure you are not that smart, though. After all, you are still Irken." He faced Zim, "You know you are an offering by your pathetic empire, but you do not know for what yet, do you?"

Zim shifted his eyes away from the red skin of the bare chest before him, making no comment. The Emperor's smirk now began to slowly return as he continued his walk around the tablet, "Ah, poor 'Invader' Zim. Offered up by his spineless leaders who did not even have the decency to tell him why."

The Emperor changed course and went over slowly towards a varnished table resting in front of the stone bed, in search of something. It was beyond Zim's range of sight, so now all he could do was listen as is chest thundered in fear, his breath panicked.

"It is actually incredibly disrespectful, in our minds. It is custom that our sacrifices know what they are being sacrificed for. Our society is based on honour and glory, something the Irken's obviously are too immature and underdeveloped to appreciate…"

"Shut up!" Zim suddenly yelped, his voice a little higher than he would have wanted.

The Emperor was near stunned by the alien's outburst, his conversation now stopping for a moment. But then, Zim heard him chuckle a little bit to himself, before the red skin entered his line of sight again. The Emperor stood over Zim, still smiling like he had been before. His hand was brought up and placed over Zim's mouth with a force that nearly broke the Irken's jaw. Zim jolted in shock, trying to get the hand off, but with his arms tied down with the strongest material Zim had thus far encountered, he could do nothing but struggle and shake beneath the Emperor's throttling grasp.

What was worse was something had been in his hand. The substance was now being shoved into Zim's mouth. It had the consistency of a sticky gel and had that honey-like flavour to it with another more bizarre element to it. It nearly made the alien vomit, but the hand was so big and so powerful, this substance was being shoved down faster than Zim could bring it up.

The Emperor, through all this, said with a smile, "I see what you are playing here, Irken. You think you are going to die, so you feel as though you can say whatever you want because it will not matter once you are dead." He leant in, his face dark and creepy, "But I am here to disappoint you, Irken Scum."

He pulled away, the substance now having been melted down the Irken's throat, coating it. Zim violently hacked, the smooth cold layer burning his throat.  
At the back of his mind, he heard Dib's voice for some reason, now being reminded of the words…_Irken Scum_, "Wh-what was that?! What did…?" he gulped, his head spinning suddenly, his eyes watering from the burning sensation. It actually hurt to breath.

Emperor Scarlet smirked, dusting his hands off, "Never tasted Fertillium before, Zim? I tried adding some sweetener to it, but I guess it did not work out very well; am I correct in saying that, Irken?"

Zim's body shivered, everything spinning now, a thin sheet of sweat coating over his chest and stomach. Moans broke into his closed mouth, his eyes shutting tightly. The Emperor moved closer in, a gentle scaly hand being placed over his neck, almost caressing it, "Oh I know, I know. I know how you are feeling right now. You feel cold and empty."

Zim's shaky eyes opened. Cold and empty…_like a vessel_. His gaze shifted over to the overly enthused Emperor, "You-you-you're putting something…into me…" he gasped for air, the gel affecting his voice now.

A toothy grin was revealed, the Emperor's emerald eyes beaming, "You could say that."

He moved away, going back over to the table he had been near earlier, Zim only being able to barely listen through an indistinctive pitch, his antennae buzzing, "Our race is so strong because we have the ability to adapt and change when needed. Our Supreme blood line, of which I am a part of, is not based on complete and utter purity. We do not practise the insane standards of your race where if you are found imperfect, you are eliminated."

Zim turned his head the opposite way, tears of pain escaping his stinging eyes. He was in agony, but couldn't stop himself from focusing on the Emperor's harsh tone, "I am sure your kind is not familiar with our practises. And even if they are, they do not understand them. So I will make it as simple as possible for you, Irken."

He found a syringe filled with an egg-white coloured sort of liquid. "We find opposing alien races, in this case yours. Our Emperors and Empresses threaten them for a sacrifice and they will then find a way to deliver one to us."

He shoved it into his terrifying bicep, his expression flickering slightly. He slowly pushed the plunger down and continued his thought, "We, as the Supreme, then use this vessel to house our heir."

Zim's teary eyes opened, a new sort of fear surging through him. No. Not that. Not that! Please.

Placing the syringe back down, he began making his way back over to the near-convulsing alien, "We do this so our next suitor will know and understand all weakness of our enemy species. And when they come of age and become the next Supreme, their first task is to take out the race they were housed in."

He positioned himself by Zim, smiling brightly. Zim stared at him, letting out quick short breaths, "Why do you think we are the most successful race to ever live? We eliminate all competition in our way till we are the only ones left. It is a long, tiresome process, but an effective one regardless. Each Supreme is stronger than the last and we will be the Supreme Race soon enough!"

"But…" Zim tried, his voice nearly gone, "You…are not…pure!"

He smirked, "It definitely is a risky move on our part in terms of how Royal the line stays. But what is life without a little risk?"

The poor Irken's lips quivered as his eyes shut once more, new painful tears entered them. But this was a different sort of pain he was feeling, "P-p-please…"

"With pleasure," Emperor Scarlet half laughed, leaning in.

His jaw swung apart violently, his piercing dagger-like teeth dripping with saliva. He bit down on one side of the exposed body, teeth tearing through Zim's right shoulder. He yelled with a cracking lost voice, quaking against the tablet. His PAK was made useless by this thing he was strapped to and the restraints merely buckled against his force.

The Emperor, green blood dripping down his fangs, pounced onto the table. He now rested on top of Zim, hovering above him in his dominant position. He snapped down onto the other side, drawing more blood. Zim gasped and convulsed further.

The Emperor pulled off him, his warm breath playing along his bloody skin. He murmured, "So tempting. So tempting to just tear open your cavity and feast on the entrails within. But no…that is not fun enough."

Zim screamed for help, knowing no one would respond. In this dungeon of a room, no one was going to hear him…other than this hideous creature. That was the point.

Emperor Scarlet was tired of him screaming and placed a firm claw over his mouth, being a lot gentler than Zim expected, "You waste your voice and time, Irken. Be proud and expect your fate with dignity. You are about to house a Red-Winged heir, an honour many are not fortunate enough to have. Appreciate and enjoy this."

The Emperor quickly moved in, his hand now being replaced with his two firm lips. Zim shook his head, trying to get them off…but it was hopeless. This was happening. This was it. The lips parted and forced his mouth open in order to let in a new liquid. Zim's eyes were shut tight, tears now rivers down his face as he snivelled.

Everything was lost…

And before he knew it…he was out, his PAK shutting off to conserve energy after suffering severe trauma at the hands of the Emperor.

* * *

**Zim's thoughts: "You're using my line against me!? Are you FREAKEN KIDDIN' ME!?"**

**God, this poor alien :( Why am I so cruel to him? This was a difficult scene to write, I won't lie. But, hope it was enjoyable none the less**

**Well, I'm off. Check out my DA account. Been posting a lot of new pics and stuff over there (yay) And leave those reviews! I like those! **


	6. Sound

**Sigh, Good Evening all 3( Wow, I am tired. Also annoyed. Internet trolls are such effort, aren't they? A few of my favourite artists are currently being annoyed by one persistant one who thinks it's fun to be an ass X_X**

**Anyway, moving on with my life (and yours), here is out latest chapter! Tunica helped quite a bit with this one, and sends a hello. She's gone to go take a nap after a long day of work.**

* * *

Squeaky wheels irritated his antennae. But the thought that the only sense still working was his hearing was frightening the broken Irken. Everything else felt…numb.

Movement of air as he was wheeled down a closed off corridor was his only guide at the moment. He could not see. He felt nothing. His scent and taste were gone and forgotten. Now all that was left was the sounds surrounding him, and to a smart man, that was enough.

He heard men speaking in muffled voices above him, perhaps with a mask or something over their mouths. Probably doctors or nurses.

"His vitals are where they need to be, Our Supreme. He will be non-responsive for a few more ticks as his PAK tries to reactivate itself, but after that we will be able to clean and dress his wounds before we begin administrating nutrients."

"Good. I want my heir to be well fed in this vessel. He looks very undernourished for an Irken, does he not?" that accursed voice rang.

"It appears he hasn't been eating very much lately, your Supreme. We will attend to that."

The sound of doors parting skidded past him, some feeling slowly returning. His hands. The tips of his fingers. He tried moving them, but they refused him this requested. He could, however, feel the soft material surrounding them. He guessed a gurney sheet as that seemed to make sense.

The movement of air stopped as he reached his destination, the annoying squealing of rusted wheels stopping with it. He heard footsteps around the bed as a female began speaking, "Will our Supreme be needing anything?"

"No, I am satisfied at present. I will be up to address the men shortly," the smugness was dripping off his breath like Zim's blood had a few hours earlier.

Zim could hear a case opening, feeling returning to his feet next. The softness was there as well, confirming his thought over what it was. Out of the case came a metallic sound. The other thing taken out was something with practically no sound to it. Just the air moved.

"Is that thread strong enough, Drone?" Emperor Scarlet asked in a firm tone. Zim's mind nodded at that, now knowing this was a doctor, as many medical technicians were referred to as Drones.

"Yes, Supreme. And it will not interfere with the DNA you've injected with each bite," he said, a slight panic within his croaky still muffled voice.

"Have you scanned for the egg as of yet?"

"We have, Our Supreme," another doctor's voice answered out, "It is currently travelling through the squeedly-spooch of the Irken. It will eventually be mistaken as a nutrient and be absorbed into the body. It should, from there, travel down to the abdominal cavity where it will be housed."

"Good. Good," the monster mentioned, the sound of nodding being heard.

Zim's senses were awakening more as feeling travelled up his arms and legs. Scent was weak but there. Disinfectant. Stale air. A lingering smell of blood.

The other doctor continued, "The room will be kept at minus temperatures to ensure it fertilizes. We should know by tomorrow morning if the procedure was a success."

"And if it was not, then we shall try again tomorrow," the Emperor growled.

Zim felt his shut eye twitch at the comment, the sting over his face returning. He began feeling pain in his stomach and chest, as though everything was thumping, trying to escape his body.

And without any warning, all feeling returned to his frenzied body, rupturing agony hitting his shoulders. No painkillers had been added to help manage it. Zim knew his mouth was now open, screaming suddenly filling the closed off area. He could hear it. It was painful to the mind to know he could scream like that. He felt powerful arms hold what he presumed was his pulsating body down to the bed he was on. Sounds of upset monitors joined the screams, as though that thumping he felt was more than just his pain trying to escape from in his cavity. Everything was trying to shut down now.

"Someone give me that syringe before we lose him, dammit!" a technician yelled.

"If he dies, I expect to see all your death warrants in my hands by dawn," Emperor Scarlet threatened.

Zim's piercing screaming hurt is antennae now. And finally, his eyes shot open. He saw the four men staring down at him, panic on their faces. Scarlet was one of them, holding down the shaking Irken, determined more than scared. Someone plunged the syringe into his arm and what looked like a breathing mask was placed over his wide open mouth. Zim could taste the bitter air being sucked in and before he knew it, drowsiness began winning over him again.

He felt words slip past his tongue as his eyes shut.

"...I had…to…risk…it…"

Everything went numb and all sense was lost. But he knew what word was the last to come out his weak mouth.

_All_.

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**That's all for today folks (oh no, world is gonna end tomorrow)...**

**I'll try and update again during the weekend ;) Keep those reviews coming! And please come visit us on DA! Love the support :)**


	7. Three

**Evening everyone...or whatever time it is over there while you are reading this.**

**Um, for those of you who haven't guessed it, this is Tunica here and not Hope. She has had a less than pleasant weekend and is not in the best of moods at the moment so I am here to update the story for her. Poor gal.**

**Because of this, this latest chapter was mainly written by myself. I do apologize for errors. I usually do my writing at 2-3 in the morning, so...sorry ^^'**

**This will be the last update till next year sometime. We should start back up again in the first week of Jan, so until then enjoy your holidays. Merry Christmas! And we look forward to another year of exciting writing together.**

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"Stop that now, Irken Filth. Or I will be forced to place you into restraints," the doctor threatened as he typed away on the hover screen by the bed.

Zim didn't move his gaze away from the IV band strapped to his wrist of which he had been fiddling with, hoping to get it off. His fingers hung over it for a few seconds after the scolding, considering disregarding that threat, before his arm moved away altogether, resting alongside his body.

Zim had woken up a few hours earlier, referred to as 'ticks' on this planet. His pain was gone due to some of the injections he was given. But inside he felt dirty and disgusted. He knew there was a Red-Winged creature now developing within him and this fact was destroying what was left of his already fragmented mind. He was so weak; he could barely sit up, let alone stand. So no restraints were placed over him. His PAK was also made useless as he had no energy to work it. So he was stuck in this surprisingly comfortable bed, strapped up to machines that regulated breath and body functions. The IV drip was delivering nutrients straight into his blood to help feed him and what he knew was that _thing_ now travelling around his body.

The doctors were being _friendly_ with the Irken, often looking at him with a lust. To not be able to eat this fresh weak meat must have been killing them. "How are you feeling, Irken?"

Zim made no response. He had yet to say a thing since he had awakened. It was more of a pride thing than anything else, but he also figured his voice would be non-existent after his screaming fits.

The doctor waited, looking into Zim's drooped eyes. His antennae hung over his face and his skin was a pale sickly colour.

The beast gave a sigh and moved away from the bed, going over to the intercom hanging on the white tiled walls in this room. Zim looked away from him, placing his hand over his stomach, his thoughts still focused on what was in him. Could he kill it? Would he survive it? Even if he succeed in destroying it, then what? It didn't matter if he died in the process because the Emperor could just as easily get another vessel from the none-the-wiser Tallest. Zim shut his eyes, feeling so tired, but never wanting to sleep again. He was afraid of it. Bad things obviously happened while he was asleep.

But then again, they happened while he was awake as well.

"He's being difficult; I don't know what I'm supposed to do with him," the doctor moaned. "He's obviously not going to cooperate!"

Zim rubbed the hand up and down his weird feeling tummy, thinking now about Skoodge and his Computer. Did he feel regret over what had happened? Should he have just continued his pathetic existence back on Earth? Waited and hoped for someone to just have killed him there instead?!

Zim's eyes opened in horror over his thoughts. Almost angry with those damned things entering his mind. He was Zim! He was the Almighty Zim! How dare he think such things?!

No, he couldn't just give up and wait for death to come and get him. He wanted a risk. He got it. It backfired. So what?! He now needed to pick himself back up and get the hell out of here. Enough was enough! No more feeling sorry for himself.

With weak stinging eyes and an unsteady mind, he began taking in his surroundings, shoving out negative thoughts as he tried seeing a means of escape. He was weak and knew it, but he wouldn't be that way for long, would he? But he could fake it. He could pretend to still be weak and use this to his advantage. He could do this. The ships here could get him off this planet. He could go home and pretend this never happened. But what of the thing inside him? Easy. Just flush it out and then pretend nothing happened.

No, he could do this. He had to do this!

The doctor came over to him, looking more irritated than when he had left Zim. He grabbed a few of his things and went off, out of this cold room altogether, mumbling curse words to himself in the Red-Winged language. Zim tried feeling a little form of victory over being able to rid himself of this pesky doctor, but pain suddenly engulfed his system as an unpredictable yelp shot out of his mouth, his hand scrunching the sheet over his stomach. The doctor turned to him and then headed over to him, dumping his things on a nearby table, "What is it?"

Zim's breath increased pace as the pain spread, "H-Hurts…" he tried stopping the word coming out, but he couldn't.

The doctor grabbed a little device on the table and waved it over Zim's stomach. He began looking at the screen on it, trying to understand the readings it gave off, "Hmm, the egg is trying to pass through your spooch, but it's having difficulty. It seems it's a little too big to be absorbed." He grumbled, walking away from the Irken in search of something, "The egg is probably a bit more mature than it should have been. I swear, if those miscreants had just sent you when we needed you here…"

He grabbed yet another syringe and moved in, carefully placing it into the bag linking into the IV cord. He pushed the liquid into it and gave the bag a little shake as Zim's teeth gritted, "There. This should help the egg pass through your spooch's membrane. We can't have the egg presiding in there. Some of the natural acids could affect it in a way we don't want."

Zim lay back onto the plush material behind him, still struggling with this pain.

The doctor rolled his eyes and began grabbing his things again, "Such a weak species. Honestly, the next heir should be placed into the Moroonian species. They don't have mouths."

He began walking out in his stride, sighing, "At least we only have a Mintof of this. I couldn't imagine what it would be like had it been any longer."

Zim gave a look through his distorting face. _Mintof_. That translated into a month by galactic standards, like 'ticks' into hours.

That meant…he had a month before this thing was meant to come out. And he didn't want to think about what he would go through within that month as this thing feasted on everything in him.

He needed to get out of here quickly. He grunted out, hearing his whisper of a voice make a sound, "In three…days. In three days…I will…escape."


	8. Two

**The document may be deleted, BUT OUR WILL TO CONTINUE LIVES ON!**

**So, because so many are still enjoying this story, Tunica and I have been working tirelessly to get together and figure out what we had written down before the document got deleted (for those who haven't read my Journal entry on DA, half my documents got deleted when my computer crashed a few days ago...this story was amoung the victums X_X)**

**So although this story may not be updated as often as we would like (sorry about that) we will try when we can to get some of it up here. In the meantime! We have our substitute going up today. Our new fic, Uprising, is a FanFic that was saved on Tunica's old laptop which is fine and it proves to be a very good tale (no ZADR, but lots of heartache...hooray!). The problem...there's not much to it yet. But we're working on it ^^;**

**I'm sorry for the problem! But we are trying our best. This is better than deleting the story altogether, right?**

* * *

His legs dangled over the bed, his head low as he gathered whatever strength left within him. He looked up as the nurse walked in. Her wings were a sort of golden beige rather than the vibrant orange or red he had become accustomed to seeing on these monsters. They were also smaller in size. She walked over to him, looking as enthusiastic as he did, "Irken vessel. Ready for your first walk since you woke up?"

Zim blinked in an exhausted manner, giving a slight nod. It was now or never. She offered him her claw and helped balance him as his legs slipped off the bed. He practically tripped over, but she steadied him and wrapped his arm over her shoulder, "Damn useless alien."

She helped him move around the room he had been practically living in for the past two days, Zim walking slowly and at a steady pace. His legs were like jelly, but he was maintaining balance by resting on the nurse and the IV stand on the other side of him that he needed to carry.

She watched him closely, taking notes in her head. _Moving at a well enough pace. Still not in need of restraints as of yet. Still annoying and pathetic._ His breath grew heavy after a few minutes of it and he stopped, the nurse stopping with him, "Tired already?"

Zim shut his eyes, but shook his head, "I wanna keep going. Let me keep going."

She gave a look of curiosity, but immediately replaced it with a displeased one and proceeded to grumble, "Alright then."

They continued walking around, but Zim shook his head again, "I-I-I need to walk straight. Please, let me walk straight. The-the pain. I need to walk it off. Please."

She rolled her eyes, "So weak."

But Zim looked very uncomfortable and it was requirement that he wasn't. She helped him towards the exit, knowing the corridor outside this room was straight and narrow enough for them. She pushed the double doors open and helped him out, Zim now just holding onto her hand rather than having his arm draped over her. It was stinging his still tender shoulder.

He moaned as they continued walking, the nurse giving a louder sigh than she had before, "Now what?"

"I feel sick," he mumbled in a drunken tone, his head low again.

"Sick how?" she asked, her look still irritated.

"Like I'm going to throw up," Zim groaned with a little more urgency, still walking slowly down the blue lit corridor. At the end of it was yet another door leading out into an unknown area.

Her look grew disgusted, "Have you eaten today?"

Zim shock his head, stopping and placing a hand over his mouth, "N-no…"

He gagged, the nurse letting go off him and freaking out. The last thing she wanted to do was clean up Irken sick, "Not here! Not here, you fool!"

"No, I think here is just fine!" before she could stop him, he had brought up the IV stand and knocked her over the head with it, the drip ripping out of his wrist. She crashed onto the floor, gasping.

He wasted no time and flung it down on the knocked over nurse, beating her repeatedly with it, her yellow blood splattering across the tiles.

He dropped it and hit the ground as he gulped in air, shaking over what just happened and from how much energy he had to use.

She was out, hopefully dead. This was rather surprising seeing as it usually took three trained Irken soldiers to take down one average Red-Winged creature. But then again, this whole place was cold. Red-Winged aliens got their power from heat and down here, it needed to be freezing.

If Zim ever posed a threat, he could have simply been put into restraints like he had been with the Emperor so it was alright for them to be weaker down here.  
Well, that's what they thought anyway.

Zim looked at her. She wasn't going to get back up. She wasn't even breathing. He pushed himself off the floor and stood on his unsteady legs, continuing down the corridor. He continued holding onto the stand of the IV, the bag now lying on the floor leaking out. It seemed to be a good enough weapon for the moment. His arm had begun bleeding from where the drip had been attached on his wrist, though; something Zim knew might become a problem later on.

He couldn't go back to the lab to grab anything else useful like medication, bandages or even a scalpel to defend himself with – seeing as a stand faired no match against one of the guards. He knew there were cameras there. They would notice him alone and would send a few guards with restraints to get him.

So, he had to just continue onwards with no direction and a metal stand.

He stopped, giving a gulp. _Damn, this is a stupid plan, isn't it? _Regardless, he continued down the passage, heading up to the steel plated doors before him, the grip over the pipe tightening.

He took in a shaky breath and pushed the doors apart with his elbow, already in some form of a stance, ready to strike down any opponent in his way…

But instead he dropped his pipe, looking around in confusion. He was…back in the dungeon?

It was empty and as cold as ever. Zim grunted. This didn't help him very much. He barely remembered his night in this room, but he knew he didn't recall any doors or openings. And by the looks of things, not much had changed.

But that was impossible. How did the creatures get in and out of here then?

He picked up his stand and gingerly walked around, scanning the room. He noted the tablet; still in its same spot stained with what he knew was his green blood. The table in front of it was empty, all equipment used before now gone. The room was lit by hanging torches set alight. Other than that, this place was empty. The dark mud-coloured walls were smooth, as was the humble grey floor beneath him.

He stopped, standing in the middle of this area, feeling eerie. He could feel it. The Emperor knew he was out, but he also knew that Zim had no idea how to get out of here. Or was that just paranoia? Was he over thinking this? Was the answer so simply that it was too complicated for him to figure out?

His once sharp teeth gritted, "Damn it. Damn it. DAMN YOU!"

He huffed, but no reply. Not even an echo of his own voice to slap him. He was getting frustrated now, the feeling of defeat grating him tremendously. He couldn't let this fiend win!

Zim shut his eyes, trying to think and calm down. His anger was distracting him now. There had to be a way out. There was nothing in the corridor. No, nothing in the room he was in. Even though he was weak, they wouldn't be stupid enough to leave an exit in there. And he never saw anyone leave through his room unless they used the corridor. So it had to be in here. It had to be. _But where!?_

Zim opened his eyes, making note of something.

It was very quiet in this room.

The corridor sort of had a stale sound to it. The air was still and wasn't moved very much, which was strange seeing as the doctors and nurses often moved through it. And the room he was in was buzzing with sounds from monitors and generators that supplied the equipment with electricity. He gave a look. It only made sense that the corridor he came through was that badly lit.

But this room. The air was circulated, as though it had been moved quite a lot recently. Torches lit up the place, meaning noisy generators weren't needed. Why? Why was it important that this room be kept this quiet at any given time?

Zim grew a cold look as a disturbing thought entered his mind. _So that damn monster could hear Zim's screams clearly?_

He shook off that thought immediately, knowing that wasn't it. The silence in this room had significance to it.

Before he knew it, a useful thought finally came to mind. He snapped his fingers, "Of course." What was the one thing every Red-Winged beast had that he could never use to get out? The things that created a sound so terrifying, even the bravest of Irken soldiers would run in terror?

He dropped the stand once more, running back into the corridor. He looked over at the still blood-soaked nurse, lying in the same position he had left her in. A sick feeling grew in him, but he knew it had to be done.

He made his way over to the cold body and flipped her onto her stomach. He stood above her and grabbed hold of one of the wings. With as much strength as he could master, he tried with all his might to rip off the huge wing. But he fell backwards and hit the wall, the slippery wing simply freeing itself from his grip. He let out a groan, now knowing that wasn't going to work. But he needed those wings. They were his ticket out of here.

He let out a breath, feeling miserable about this. He reached back into his PAK, searching for where one of his spider-legs where positioned. He caught hold of it and ripped it out, sparks flying from his PAK briefly before calming. He knew it was a risky move, but he also knew he couldn't use them like this. He was already struggling to keep awake. Activating them would just knock him out altogether, making them pretty much useless right now.

He crawled back over to the beast, using the sharp edge of his broken spider-leg and began trying to cut through where the ghastly wing was attached to her back. It was working…but very slowly. The sound of flesh and bone tearing and snapping nearly made Zim gag. His muscles began stinging and his shoulders buckled with how much force he was trying to use. His previously dripping wrist was now bleeding to the point of being rendered near useless by this stunt. But after a few moments of tiresome work, one wing detached. It hit the ground in a thump, like a branch cut off from an old tree. He quickly made work on the next one. The feeling of worry became apparent over how much time he still had left before guards stormed through the closed corridor to come torture him further. He knew they would start growing suspicious after not hearing from the nurse in so long.

His vision became blurred now. He was getting so tired. He couldn't. He dropped the bloody claw, panting as his head spun. He leant forward, his hands resting on the sides of the dead body, trying to keep the fading Irken upright.

He couldn't. He knew from the start he couldn't. He just…

_It definitely is a risky move on our part...But what is life without a little risk?_

Zim's eyes shot open, the Emperor's past words ringing through his head, "Yes…I can!"

He got to his feet and yanked on the half-hacked wing with a new found might called fury. It tore off and he yet again hit the wall. This time, it didn't matter. He grabbed both wings and made a stumbled dash down the hallway. The doors flung open under his command and he skidded to a stop in the dungeon, ready to take on this new challenge. He took a wing in each hand, letting out a strained breath. His arms began moving the wings up and down, trying to gain some momentum. His already tired arms were screaming under the strain, but he kept at it, knowing he needed to ignore his body on this one.

The sound created was unique to only the Red-Winged creatures when they flew. It was harsher than the average sound of any creature's wings being flapped together. The sound could not be recorded on any device present in this or any other universe. It could not be mimicked by any other species, regardless of how similar to this race they may have been. It was a pitch that made Zim very weary as he continued to flap these atrocities. But after five long minutes of terrifying sound, nothing was happening.

Could Zim have been wrong? It would have been the perfect security system. No. This had to be it. But then was it perhaps based on a particular type of pitch that only a Red-Winged creature would know? Based on how fast the wings were moving? Zim shook his head, trying to stay focused. _Please. Let me be right. Please, this has to work!_

Zim continued to push through the burning sensations and flapped those damn bloody wings as hard as he could. His eyes were clenched shut as he let out a yell now, ten minutes being too long for his exhausted body. After all that…it wasn't working…Irk Dammit!

But…low and behold, the smooth wall finally gave way, sliding into five different directions before him, revealing a small passage. Zim fell to his knees, dropping the wings as he gasped for air, his eyes now wide open. He looked up in a haze, giving a half laugh, "Take that, wall!"

He reached for the near forgotten IV stand, now more of a balancing stick than a weapon, and pulled himself up, "Made it this far."

He hobbled into the passage, the walls slamming back into place behind him, leaving him in darkness.

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**Thanks to Tunica for helping out with this chapter. But we're not done yet! For those who are still reading Sun Flowers, you're in for a treat ;)**

**Please review and we'll check you guys later**


	9. One

**"Blew down the doors to let me in. Shattered windows and the sounds of drums! People couldn't believe what I'd become...Revolutionaries wait for my head on a Silver Plate! Just a puppet on a lonely string. Oh who would ever wanna be King"**

**Yay! Coldplay. So yes, I know how long it has been since I've updated anything (do you know how I know? I had to actually log into FanFiction. That is how long I've been off of it X_X) But school has hit me sideways and as my DA journal states, I am kinda dying from something, so yeah.**

**But the journal also tells of how I have rediscovered a little bit more of Here we Go again. So...HERE WE GO AGAIN!**

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He recognized this area. He also recognized the guards.

"STOP HIM!"

The bleeding dizzy Irken had found himself back in the main corridor he had been escorted through a few days before for his 'meeting' with the Emperor. This was both a good and bad thing. He knew where to go from here. But he also knew this was a well-guarded area.

Four guards shook their worn wings and got to higher ground, getting ready to dive on top of the Irken. Not seeing much choice, he activated his three spider-legs. They managed barely to at least stumble him out of the way momentarily as the guards just missed grabbing him. The legs immediately retracted back into the PAK, Zim being left to dash down the corridor without them.

He had taken five minutes in the dark area within the smaller space behind the walls of the dungeon to gain some strength and to focus his panicked self. Though he had just wasted these five minutes by briefly activating his legs, it still did enough to get him a running start.

And that's all he needed.

His grip over the pipe tightened as he began feeling it slip through his bloody hand, the guards gaining momentum over the slowing Irken. He jammed it into the stone doors, pushing it to the side to try and separate the doors. The guards couldn't help but laugh as their speed slowed, "Pathetic Irken Filth!" one screeched, "You think that inferior little piece of scrap metal is any match to our planet's stone?"

Zim grinned up at them, their laughter weakening, "Of course not."  
It made a small gap between the doors, but couldn't fully move them apart. He looked up at them, "But I don't need it to be, Morons."

To a normal sized Irken, the gap would have been too small to even consider slipping through. But Zim was still very skinny and his frame just fitted. The guards roared and went after him, but the doors shut behind him as he yanked the stand free. He continued to flee, knowing the guards circling the castle had now obviously seen him and heard their counter-parts displeasure over the fact that he was now out.

Zim was waning now, but getting closer and closer to freedom, that it didn't matter to him. He tried his spider-legs again, but they failed to activate, not willing to pull that stunt again. He cursed, but didn't slow. He heard the dreaded flapping behind him, fear hitting the pit of his stomach. Still he ran, the edge of this floating structure getting closer and closer. He let out a breath.

The guards yelled at one another, demanding each other to go faster. To catch that damn idiot quickly. But it was no use.

Zim had reached the edge, but didn't stop running. In fact, he leaped off, arms out stretched. The guards gasped in horror. Their Supreme's vessel!

They dived down after him, but Zim had straightened his arms, now resembling a speeding bullet shooting down the sky. He tried once more to get his legs working. No response. _Damn it_.

The guards looked up in horror, their pace slowing as they watched their fiery Emperor soar past them, nearly ploughing through them. Zim turned his head slightly and let out a yelp. He looked back down and watched as a floating highway came within view. _Perfect. Just what I was looking for_.

The Emperor looked over at him, now next to him without Zim realizing. Zim screamed as the Emperor smiled, "Now, now, Zim. You've had your fun. You've proven to us just how strong you are. Time to go back to your home, Irken."

Zim gave a quick glance down before looking back at the Emperor, "Alright then."

The Emperor looked down and narrowly missed the floating highway, his momentum wavering as he tried getting his pace back in check. But Zim was no longer next to him. He had hit the highway rather hard, just being missed by an oncoming ship. The Emperor grunted and flew straight back up, getting mad now. He looked around the highway, searching for the Irken. He was gone!

"ZIM!" his voice shattered the air, his guards looking scared as they went in search along the highway.

Zim clung to the bottom of this rusty navy coloured ship, his eyes closed as he panted, pain consuming his back and stomach. Irk, that had hurt.

He knew any winged beasts flying below the highway would eventually see him like this, so he needed to get inside. He grabbed hold of a loose connector he saw hanging on the side of the ship, trying hard not to slip and end up falling off altogether. Struggling, he reached up and grabbed the passenger's door next, the connector snapping off. A quick surge of panic passed and he got himself focused once more, hanging onto the handle with all his might. _One last try_. He activated his spider-legs. And success! They helped pull the rest of him up and edged their way into the break between the door and the lock. He managed to get it open and he slipped in, fumbling into the cushioned seat. He looked up at the confused driver, praying it wasn't another Red-Winged creature he had stumbled upon.

Thank Irk, luck was with him today. It was a Vortian prisoner.

It was rumoured in the Empire – when Zim was still a part of it – that Red-Winged creatures had managed to steal a few Vortian prisoners from Irken transporters during Vortian transfers from one planet to another to use as their own workmen. It made sense, as Vortians were able to build anything from anything and made excellent scientists. It was the main reason Irk lasted for as long as it did under attack from enemy races. Guess those rumours held some truth.

This well dressed, though short and panic-stricken prisoner gapped at the intruder, "An Irken? Alive on Planet Molten…?"

"Please," Zim begged, his past-self disgusted that he would stoop so low as to ask a prisoner like a Vortian for help like this…even if he had done it once or twice in the past without realizing it, "They're going to kill me! Continue driving this ship and do everything I say or I will kill you!" Zim yelled at him, deciding begging sounded too nice.

The Vortian, rather threatened by Zim's request, continued driving as demanded, Zim sinking into the seat as he looked into the rear-view mirror, the guards still searching for him, "So you're taking my ship hostage?"

"Yes, let's say I'm doing that," Zim muttered, holding onto his still bleeding wrist, rather annoyed by the yellow and green blood coating his skin.

"Oh. Okay," the Vortian nodded, taking a turn at the intersection like he was meant to, "Do you wanna drive, then?"

Zim looked at him, "What?"

"I haven't been taken hostage before, so I don't know what the procedure for one of these things is supposed to be."

Zim rolled his droopy eyes, "Just drive. Where are you supposed to be taking this ship?"

"I'm delivering Barxton Crystals to Planet Fayf as requested by Main Commission," he answered. Zim looked around the ship he had seat himself in. There was a speaker next to the Vortian, but no cameras, "Does that thing monitor what you're saying?"

"Yes, but only when it's turned on. It also acts as a radio for when we drivers get bored and need a little music," he commented, "Um, Irken? Are those men patrolling over the highway after you?"

"That's not important. Do you have a navigator on this thing?" Zim slurred, feeling everything go slack against the seat.

"Yes, I do," he pointed at a small keyboard towards the centre of the dashboard. "I take it you're looking to go somewhere. Irk?" the Vortian asked.

Zim gave a cold look, "No. Not there. Is there a tracker on this thing as well?"

The Vortian pointed at a small flashing red light. Zim grumbled, "Well, I'm tired of seeing that damn colour, so…" He shot his hand straight through the control board and violently yanked the tracker out, cords sparking and sizzling. The Vortian watched wide-eyed, staring at the bloody Irken. Zim crushed it and dropped it by his feet. He then typed in 'Milky Way: Earth' into the guidance system.

"New destination recognized," the Computer hummed. A new route was plotted out on the small screen that the Vortian now had to follow. Zim looked over at him, "I am no one's slave. And now, neither are you. You will take me back to Earth, then do whatever you want with yourself. Deal?"

The Vortian, shocked by this Irken's manner, nodded in understanding, "Alright. Alright, I can do that."

He took a right turn towards a Hyperspace jumping gate. Zim sat further back, shutting his eyes as he moaned, "Irk, this was such a bad trip."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," the Vortian tried, only getting a dirty look from Zim. He tried elaborating, "At least you made it out alive. Not many, if any, Irkens can actually say that, right?"

Zim looked up, at least giving a nod over that. He felt sick, miserable, was bleeding badly as the world spun. But he was alive…for the most part.

The Vortian screamed suddenly, pointing at something by Zim's window. Zim turned and saw A Red-Winged creature beside them. He yelled out, "Gas it! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

The Vortian pulled the main thruster, but the winged beast had latched onto the ship. He ripped the door open, destroying the lock, "Nice try."

He grabbed Zim by the throat, the Irken gasping for air, "How dare you show such disrespect!?"

Zim struggled, too weak to fight back, "Our Supreme will make sure you suffer for this."

He leaned in, snarling as his fangs revealed themselves through parted lips, "But why should he have all the fun?"

He was about to take a bite but something had yanked him out violently, his grip on Zim slipping. Zim hit the seat, coughing. He managed to see the Emperor ripping off his own guard's head, yellow blood splattering across the ship. He turned to see the Vortian getting wrenched out of the ship on the other side, screaming as he went. Zim cursed. No! He was too close! The gate was still coming up! He could make it, damn it!

He pulled himself over to the driver's seat, slamming the door in the Red-Wing creature's face before it could grab him. He yanked out a circuit board beneath him connected to the ship's engine. The side of his eye caught the Emperor now entering the ship. "Zim…!"  
He moved two wires into place and the ship shot forward, the Emperor too far out of the ship to hold on. His claws tried latching on but they left tears through the firm metal as he got sucked out.

The ship passed through the Hyperspace gateway…

And Zim was gone.

The Emperor growled, panting in fury, "This is not over yet…I will get you Zim. You have something of mine."

* * *

**Do you see what I did there? You know, with the titles of the chapters? 3...2...1?**

**Yay, I know I'm pretty crazy but I am totally okay with that. Well, things just got interesting. Zim has seemed to have escaped...but he is kinda dying from whatever is in him so...**

**BAM! Cool story. The next chapter will eventually be up...I WILL COMPLETE THIS STORY! But only if you guys...REVIEW :D**

**See you soon ;)**


	10. Star

**What better way to celebrate a year of FanFiction writing than by updating one of my Fics :P  
Yep, can you believe it? A year today I have been Invader Hope, writing here online! An amazing experience :D Thank you all to the wonderful reviews, comments, likes! Everything :) **

**To all the friends I have made, I owe you all a lot, and I'm very happy to know you guys ;)  
**

* * *

"Come on, come on," he sighed, leaning back into the leather seating, "Why do I always hit all the red lights on my way home?"

He fiddled with the tuner on his radio, trying to get a decent enough station at this late hour, "She's going to be so mad I'm late again. I promised to be in time for dinner, but no. I get dumped with five case files to finish reading through while my partner gets to go out for drinks. I swear I have such rotten luck sometimes."

He slumped over the wheel, blowing some black curls out of his eyes that were getting trapped in between the lens of his glasses, "God, it's been a long day, huh?"

He looked up at the sky, the full moon out tonight. He gave a little smile, "At least I picked a decent enough night to stay out till one."

He squinted, noticing something, "Is that…a shooting star?"

A stunning light flew across the sky.

Dib's smile grew, "Haven't seen one of those in a while."

Unfortunately…that wasn't a star.

* * *

Zim lay on the cool blades of broken grass, his eyes blinking open. Blurred flames made his eyes water. The smell of smoke forced him to cough. He placed his one hand beneath where his chin met the ground, his other arm not even reacting to feeling anymore. He pushed up, grunting in desperation. He collapsed back down, panting in exhaustion. He looked around, the blurred vision clearing. Dark. It was night time. Trees. A forest sort of area. Good, just like he aimed it.

In the distance, he could see the city. He nodded. His home was thankfully closer than he originally guessed.

He tried again, managing to get his knees beneath him this time as he pushed himself against the ground. He sat on his legs when he got upright, waiting for the rush of dizziness to pass. He then got one leg up. Then the other. And there he stood, the ship behind him smouldering and destroyed beyond repair. He looked at it, not even remembering the crash. He wasn't used to flying ships anymore, especially ones not created by an Irken or Vortian. That ship was Red-Wing made and designed for said creature. It was a miracle Zim managed to get it to Earth at all. But weak and drained, he guessed he passed out just before landing, making the experience of crashing quite forgettable. At least, that's what he hoped. He let out a breath, watching as a piece of flaming rubble crumbled under the flames as it hit the melted seating he remembered resting against a few hours earlier.

He turned, holding onto his wrist in an attempt to stop the now freshly opened wound from bleeding again as he staggered through the trees, slowing making his way back home. The cool air of Earth washed over him. Not scorching. Not icy. Just…cool. Zim sucked it in in a sigh, letting it fill his heavy breath, feeling that crisp fresh air hit the back of his scratchy throat. He wanted so badly to say he missed this after his terrifying experience, but…

He knew he wasn't in disguise. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and shredded bandages that had been placed over his injured shoulders. He was glad they hadn't started bleeding during the chase. Whatever the doctors used seemed to hold. Unfortunately, and deliberately Zim guessed, the harsh scars were left behind as the thread was absorbed into his body a few days earlier…meaning he would have those marks as a reminder of his life.

He was now wandering around out in the open, exposed and helpless.

He couldn't help but feel a little accomplished, though. He was the only Irken to have survived a trip to and from Planet Molten. He still had a lot of things he needed to get sorted out before this counted as a victory, such as getting rid of the monster within him, which he wondered if was still alive after this traumatizing ordeal.

Yet he survived. He should be happy, dancing over the moon. Relishing in the fact that Zim still had it! He showed his Tallest who was the true victor, right?

But no. He felt like crap. He felt…defeated. Not like a hero…like a failure.

Within an hour or so of wobbly walking, Zim nearly collapsing over several times, he managed his way to his doorstep. He looked up at the purple door, not as excited to see it as he should have been. He rested his head against it as his still functioning hand pressed down against the buzzer, not even bothering over using just one finger to do it. That required too much effort right now.

He heard footsteps within, a grumble from Skoodge managing to be heard as well. Zim gave a small smile. He was at least glad to hear his voice again. He stood straight, watching as the door swung open, "We don't want any…!" Skoodge started, disguise on. His angry looked softened into shock, "Z-Zim?"

"Evening," he tried, attempting a half smile while he was at it.

Skoodge grabbed hold of him, Zim practically falling into his grasp, "What on Earth happened to you?"

"Oh, you know…" Zim grunted, shutting his eyes, "I-I need a sleep, Skoodge."

"You need medical attention," Skoodge scooped him up and helped him over to the couch, "Computer! Protocol 8-Z! NOW!"

Down came several tentacles with various equipment attached to each end. One of the tiles upon the smooth floor disappeared and through it rose a stand lined with towels and gels used for cleaning wounds.

Skoodge grabbed a clear gel and a cloth and started wiping down the sweat and blood from Zim's face and arms as the Computer began removing the tattered bandages. Zim lay there, eyes half open as he watched, "So Master Zim, I take it the trip went well then?"

"I made it back alive, Computer. So yes, I guess it did," Zim mumbled, not much tone left in his voice. Skoodge gave him a look, worried and angry with Zim for saying that. _If he had just listened in the first place_…

The Computer stopped with tentacles hanging in mid-air, holding two strands of bandage up, "Master Zim…"

Skoodge looked down, horrified, "Zim."

Zim shut his eyes, feeling a little insecure now. He really didn't want them to see _that_, but was too tired to even try stopping them. The two bite-marks across his shoulders were sickening. The deep and dark green bruising around them made the site almost too much for the unprepared Irken, "What did they do to you?"

Zim remained silent, staring at the TV behind Skoodge with dull eyes. _What hadn't they done?_

Skoodge continued to wipe down the stained flesh after a few moments of stillness, the Computer bringing out some thread to stitch up his half broken wrist. He brought down the needle, coated in an anaesthetic, and began sowing up the wound. Zim shut his eyes as Skoodge went to get another towel and some more gel, "Master Zim, please try and stay awake for us. I need to see how stable you are to confirm whether or not sleeping is safe."

"I'm not sleeping," Zim sighed, "My eyes are sore."

The Computer scoffed, hearing that excuse before, "I still suggest keeping them open."

Zim grumbled and slowly opened his itching lids, struggling to keep them up. But that wasn't a problem for very long. There before his delirious eyes stood Emperor Scarlet, tall and proud. He was grinning playfully at the Irken, "Thought you could get away, huh, Zimmy?"

Zim jolted up, the needle tearing through his arm as he screamed, trying to get up onto the couch. Skoodge looked up and ran over to him, "Zim?! Zim, what's wrong?!"

Zim continued screaming, "Computer, activate defences! Quickly!"

The Computer hesitated, "Master Zim, for what reason?"

Zim blinked. And he was gone. He skidded down his seat, hitting the cushion, shaking in fear as Skoodge grabbed hold of him, "Zim?"

Zim's chest thundered as he stared at where he thought he saw him, "He…he was…" His eyes half closed before shutting altogether. He fell over, Skoodge freaking, "ZIM!"

Skoodge shook him, but Zim gave no response.

* * *

**That's all for today. Keep yer eyes out for a new surprise coming soon (it's to replace Uprising which, alas, got deleted DX we're trying to re-load it, but it's taking a bit of time. If we can't get it back up by the end of the week, we're scraping it)**

**But this new 'surprise' will be worth it :P  
Keep reviewing (PLEASE) and I'll see you all soon**


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